Containers for storing and transporting heated food such as pizza, chicken wings and the like are well known. Conventional food storage containers and pizza boxes are designed to maintain the pizza (or other food items) in a warm state during delivery to the purchaser. A difficulty with the long term storage of hot pizza and other heated food products exists in that steam from the hot food tends to condense to water within the containers. The condensate water in turn drips back onto the pizza, where it may be re-absorbed, making the pizza soggy and otherwise adversely affecting food quality and taste.
Numerous attempts have been made to provide a pizza box which prevents condensation from the pizza from being reabsorbed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,477 to Valdman et al, issued Jun. 13, 1995, discloses a pizza box which incorporates a cover coated with a moisture absorbing inner layer of starch. U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,471 to Norvell, issued Oct. 3, 1995, discloses a food container for heated pizza which incorporates multi-layer sidewall construction which is manufactured so as to permit the selective release of water vapour.
A difficulty with prior art pizza boxes and food storage containers designed to keep moisture away from heated food exists in that they are both prohibitively expensive and difficult to manufacture. In addition, the specialized coatings and layered construction of such known pizza boxes do not readily permit the customization of the box, as for example by printing corporate logos, advertising or other indicia on the boxes. This has led to a reluctance by large pizza retail chains to adopt the boxes.
As well, because of the special coatings and layered construction used in conventional food storage containers which are designed to keep moisture from the food, the containers do not readily lend themselves to either recycling or re-use.